Lessons learned in the neighbourhood Residents have welcomed the re-design of a busy and polluted main road in east London, says Chris Harrison

Gridserve opens Welsh hub

Gridserve has opened a highpowered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at Moto Swansea.

Located at junction 47 on the M4, the Electric Hub forms part of the Gridserve Electric Highway charging networks. It will initially host six 350kW high-power EV chargepoints, with the option to add a further six high-power chargers as soon as they are required.

All the chargers will be supplied with 100% net zero carbon energy from Gridserve’s solar farms, accept contactless payment for maximum accessibility, and have the ability to deliver 100-miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

Connecting Cornwall

The Drive EV2 Project is bringing 150 new public access electric vehicle chargepoints to Cornwall.

The project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Cornwall Council, includes small number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints at locations without adequate rapid-charging capacity.

Wandsworth rolls out EV chargers

Wandsworth Council has commissioned a new tranche of kerbside charging points.

The London council began rolling out the on-street infrastructure in 2021 across 26 sites. The latest installations bring the total number of sites to 35, comprising 65 dual-socket 22Kw chargepoints.

The chargepoints are owned and operated by Liberty Charge.

Cllr Kim Caddy and Liberty Charge`s Neil Isaacson

BP chargers land at Gatwick

Chargepoint operator teams up with Q-Park

Electric vehicle charging network bp pulse has opened a charging hub at Q-Park’s Gatwick Airport parking facility.

The hub includes three ultra-fast 150kW charging units that charge an EV to 80% capacity in as little as 10-15 minutes providing a range of around 100 miles.

Using new hardware, these units will be upgraded to 300kW giving compatible EV vehicles an even faster charge. The site also includes four 50kW chargers, providing convenient charging for airport users, taxi drivers, local businesses with electric vehicle fleets, and local residents.

Enabled by UK Power

The bp pulse hub at Q-Park Gatwick

Networks, the seven chargers allow 10 electric vehicles to charge simultaneously.

Akira Kirton, chief executive of bp pulse, said: “We want to bring convenient, fast charging where it is needed most. The opening of this latest hub at the UK’s second busiest airport is another important step in our roll out of ultrafast charging. Towards the end of last year we installed some of the first ultra-fast chargers on major UK motorways, and now we’re starting 2022 with another industry first.”

Q-Park Gatwick, also known as Purple Parking, is one of Gatwick Airports largest off-site car parks with space for over 3,000 vehicles.

London City Airport offers charging

London City Airport has opened its first electric car charging stations. The airport is initially offering seven new charging stations for use by its passengers, staff and black cabs.

The airport anticipates adding more stations as passenger figures rebound and more people switch to electric vehicles.

The initial installation will include three 50kW rapid and four 22kW fast charging points, of which one 50kW charger will be specially designated for use by the local black cab community.

The remaining rapid and fast chargers will be located in the airport’s car parks and will be available to passengers, staff and minicabs.

The service will be provided by bp pulse, which is part of BP.

The rapid charge for passengers will cost 30p per kWh, with payment possible either by credit card or via the bp pulse app.

The installation was

London City Airport CEO Robert Sinclair with aviation minister Robert Courts

undertaken by UK Power Networks Services, which manages the airport’s private electricity network.

London City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair said: “Travel is about more than just a flight and we are committed to encouraging clean journeys, whether by electric car or by DLR, to and from London City.

“As we start to offer connections to more destinations and welcome returning and new passengers to the airport, I am hopeful that the electric charging stations will help reaffirm our position as the airport with the best sustainable transport links in the UK.”

Aviation minister Robert Courts welcomed the initiative, saying: “As we build back greener from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is great to see London City Airport leading the way in catering for the growing number of people who are switching to electric vehicles.”

Energy Superhub Oxford takes shape

Redbridge park & ride is being transformed into a mobility and charging hub

Oxford will soon be home to the UK’s largest public EV charging hub. Work is progressing at Redbridge park & ride, to the south-west of the city, to connect the site to National Grid’s high voltage electricity transmission network and install an initial 40 fast to ultra-rapid chargers.

The chargepoint station is being developed by Pivot Power and Oxford City Council as part of the wider Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) project.

With up to 10MW of power available, the P&R site will have the capacity to scale up and meet the need for EV charging in the area over the coming decades.

When the charging hub opens in Spring 2022 it will feature 38 terminals, comprising: • 10 x Fastned chargers (up to 300kW) • 12 x Tesla chargers (250kW) • 18 x Wenea Energy chargers (7-22kW)

The chargers will be open 24/7, with payment possible via a contactless method as well as app-based payments. An on-site café is being planned, so that drivers can buy drinks and snacks, ensuring the charging process is as convenient as possible.

Oxford’s energy vision

The Energy Superhub Oxford is pioneering an integrated approach to decarbonising power, transport and heat to accelerate Oxford’s zero carbon journey. The ESO project showcases a network of rapid EV charging, hybrid battery storage, low carbon heating, and smart energy management, combining new technologies and financial models to create a blueprint for towns and cities across the UK to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.

The £41m project is part-funded by the UK government and is being delivered by a consortium of companies which comprises Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, Oxford City Council, the University of Oxford, Habitat Energy, Kensa Contracting, and Invinity Energy Systems.

With Oxford having introduced the UK’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) at the end of February 2022, ESO will support the city’s aims to reduce toxic air pollution levels, tackle the climate emergency, and improve the health of residents, workers and visitors in Oxford and beyond. It is estimated that ESO will save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year once fully operational – equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road, increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.

Cllr Tom Hayes, deputy leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “This is an exciting next step in the Energy Superhub Oxford project. Redbridge park & ride will be the UK’s largest public electric vehicle hub. Providing electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial to help us achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040 and to support the uptake of electric vehicles.”

CGI rendering of the charging hub Chargepoint hub canopies being erected at the Redbridge park & ride site

Making connections

The Oxford Superhub will be directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network, providing the power needed to charge large numbers of EVs quickly without putting strain on the local electricity network. ESO will share this connection with a 50MW hybrid battery, which will combine lithium-ion and vanadium flow technology to enable more renewable power onto the grid.

The network will also have capacity to expand to key locations throughout Oxford to meet mass EV charging needs, from buses and taxis to commercial fleets.

Tim Rose, programme manager for ESO at Pivot Power, added: “Energy Superhub Oxford is creating the power infrastructure needed to supercharge electric vehicle uptake across Oxford and meet the demand for fast, easy and reliable charging for decades to come.”

ESO is one of up to 40 similar sites planned by Pivot Power across the UK to help deliver charging infrastructure for the estimated 36 million EVs by 2040.

Battery energised

The Energy Superhub Oxford features what is the UK’s largest flow battery. The 5MWh vanadium flow + lithium-ion hybrid battery system, manufactured in the UK by Invinity Energy Systems, will combine with a 50MWh Wärtsilä lithium-ion battery to operate as a single energy storage asset.

Tim Rose, programme manager for Energy Superhub Oxford at Pivot Power said: “Energising the vanadium flow battery is an important step towards full commissioning and operation of the system. Once live, this cuttingedge hybrid battery will demonstrate how vanadium flow and lithium-ion technologies can be combined for maximum benefit, to accelerate net zero and power our lives with clean energy.”